Glasgow South MP Stewart McDonald has backed a Bill to protect the NHS from being used as a bargaining chip in future trade deals with foreign nations.
It is with deep regret and great sadness that UK is set to leave the EU today.
Voters were promised, in the 2019 general election, that the current UK Government would “Get Brexit Done”, we are far from getting it done as we head into the transition period.
A no-deal Brexit is still possible at the end 2020, and it is crucial that action is taken immediately to avoid a catastrophic hard-Brexit, which will hurt our economy, throw uncertainty upon citizen’s rights and have potentially life-threatening consequences in our health sector.
My SNP colleagues and I will continue to work constructively, and across party lines, to try and deliver as soft an impact as possible, but the numerical reality of this Parliament means the Conservatives are likely to force through a deal of any form that they want.
I have done my utmost to honour the expressed wishes of the people of my own constituency and the vast majority Scotland – who voted to remain in the EU – which is why I voted to stop Brexit, and why I will continue to voice my support for Scotland to be part of the EU.
To that end, it is vital that we now give the people of Scotland the chance to have a say over their own future.
As a result of Brexit, I know there are many of people across this nation that will be feeling a sense of loss and possible anxiety, but it is my job as an MP to ensure we move forward together so that Scotland’s pro-European voice remains heard.
The results of the 2019 general election made it clear that Scotland wants the opportunity to secure a European future in an independence referendum.
I look forward to working together to ensure Scotland soon becomes part of that collective group of independent countries that come together for the good of all to protect workers, tackle climate change, preserve peace and guarantee our freedom of movement – which happens through membership of the EU.
Whilst today is a day of deep sadness, I remain hopeful that one day, in the not too distant future, Scotland will take its rightful place at the table as an independent country within the EU.
SNP MP Stewart McDonald has said the UK government is turning a blind eye to the issue of fair work and unpaid trial shifts following answers he got from the Treasury and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department (BEIS).
The 27th of January is International Holocaust Memorial Day, a day when we in Scotland and across the entire world remember the six million Jewish people murdered in the tragedy of the Shoah, alongside the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution and later genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. It is a date at which we all have a chance to meditate on the horrors of the past and renew our commitment, as citizens of the world, to build a better future in tolerance and kindness for our fellow human beings. It is a time to think about what we can do to combat antisemitism, racism and all other bigotries in our society.
The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 in the UK is Stand Together. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chose this theme to explore how genocidal regimes throughout our history have sought to drive a wedge into the societies they imposed themselves over, separating marginalised groups from the rest of the population and encouraging people to turn against their neighbours.
In the world of today, where once again we see the terrifying rise of antisemitic attacks in Europe, North America, and elsewhere, where once again racist rhetoric has become mainstream and populist politicians are using the same tactics of division across the world, where marginalised minorities such as the Uyghurs and Rohingya are once again facing abhorrent persecution, this message is all the more pertinent. Today, commemorating the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and remembering all the victims of the brutal Nazi regime and the genocidal regimes that came after it, we must ask ourselves: what can I do to ensure this never happens again?
Stewart McDonald, MP for Glasgow South, has returned to Westminster promising to ramp up the pressure on the UK government in an effort to ban exploitative unpaid trial shifts.